This application claims priority to prior Japanese patent application JP 2002-312270, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a connector to be connected to a cable having a shield braid and, in particular, to a waterproof connector having a waterproof function.
For example, a waterproof connector of the type is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP 2002-56937 A. The waterproof connector is to be connected to a cable having a shield braid. Prior to connection of the connector, the shield braid near an end of the cable is folded back outward and a shield tape is wound on the shield braid to form a shield portion. After the above-mentioned process, a connector element is connected to a core wire of the cable. Opposite ends of a cylindrical end bell are fitted to the connector element and the shield portion, respectively. Between the end bell and the shield tape, a shield sleeve is inserted from the outside. Furthermore, a ground nut is screw-engaged with the end bell from the side of the cable. A bushing faced to the shield sleeve in an axial direction is tightly fastened through a sleeve component. Thus, a waterproof space is formed inside the end bell. The core wire and a shield wire are extracted into the waterproof space and connected to terminals of the connector element.
However, when the ground nut is screw-engaged with the end bell, the end bell is movable with respect to the cable. Therefore, a subsequent assembling operation is not easy. Specifically, when the shield sleeve is inserted between the end bell and the shield tape from the outside, the connector element is not fixed to the cable. Therefore, the connector body is shaky and unstable. This becomes an obstacle to the subsequent assembling operation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof connector which can be improved in assembling workability
It is another object of the present invention to provide a water proof connector of the type described, by fixing a connector element to a cable in the middle of an assembling operation.
Other objects of the present invention will becomes clear as the description proceeds.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waterproof connector connected to a cable which comprises a core wire and a shield braid and has, at its end, a shield portion formed by using the shield braid and an exposed part of the core wire. The waterproof connector comprises an insert assembly attached to the end of the cable and including a connector element connected to the exposed part of the core wire and a cylindrical spacer having one end fitted over the shield portion and another end fitted over the connector element. The waterproof connector further comprises a conductive cylindrical barrel fitted to an outside of the insert assembly and electrically connected to the shield portion. The cylindrical barrel has a first shoulder portion engaged with the insert assembly in an axial direction thereof. The waterproof connector further comprises a ground nut engaged with the cable in the axial direction and screw-engaged with the cylindrical barrel.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of connecting a waterproof connector to a cable which comprises a core wire and a shield braid. The method comprises folding back an end portion of the shield braid outwardly to form a folded braid, wounding a shield tape on the folded braid to form a shield portion, fitting a connector element and a part of the shield portion into opposite ends of a cylindrical spacer, respectively, press-fitting the other part of the shield portion into a shield sleeve thereby forming an insert assembly fixed to the cable, inserting the insert assembly into a housing, and connecting the housing to the cable by the use of a ground nut fitting over the cable.